respectability
Americannoun
plural
respectabilities-
the state or quality of being respectable.
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respectable social standing, character, or reputation.
-
a respectable person or persons.
-
respectabilities, things accepted as respectable.
Other Word Forms
- nonrespectability noun
- prerespectability noun
- semirespectability noun
- superrespectability noun
- unrespectability noun
Etymology
Origin of respectability
First recorded in 1775–85; respectable + -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In contrast to the air of respectability which greeted grieving families, Moore says the rear of Legacy's premises was like "something out of a horror movie".
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Bakary Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute think-tank in Dakar told AFP that "Dicko is a figure who enjoys both religious respectability and popular support".
From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026
His job is to find someone to lead a 3-14 team, outscored by 191 points this season, and drag it back to something approaching respectability.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
It often arrives dressed in intellectual respectability framed as concern, skepticism or “just asking questions.”
From Salon • Oct. 10, 2025
Black community leaders launched a campaign for respectability.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
